Nice Quarless Article

[CaliforniaCheez]

So who is more likely to be cut, Lee or Havner?

Havner has glue hands. Lee has a higher drop %.

Havner gets a lot of special teams tackles.

Havner can be an emergency Linebacker.

Lee is older.

Lee was #2 and Havner #3.

Lee has the larger contract.


This will be an interesting competition for a roster spot.

[Patler]

So who is more likely to be cut, Lee or Havner?

Havner has glue hands. Lee has a higher drop %.

Havner gets a lot of special teams tackles.

Havner can be an emergency Linebacker.

Lee is older.

Lee was #2 and Havner #3.

Lee has the larger contract.


This will be an interesting competition for a roster spot.

If Quarless is #2, Lee is gone. No way he stays as the 3rd TE. However, If Quarless isn't ready to be #2, then Havner is gone.

I don't look at it as a competition between Lee & Havener, I look at it as a competition between Quarless and Lee for #2. The rest takes care of itself.

[Bretsky]

A couple more observations about Finley. . .

When he came out of college, he had that great highlight reel. I don't know if I said it here or just thought it, but I remember thinking he looked great and played tough. I hoped he didn't carry that fearlessness to the NFL because it looked like he could get hurt, jsut the way he went after it, fighting for yards.


There is nothing wrong with Finley's football attitude or toughness. I really don't think he's the liability you think he is as a blocker.

He was a 21 year old either redshirt sophmore or true junior coming out of Texas. Last year, he was 22. I'm sure Lee did hang on partly because of his blocking consistency and partly because of his receiving consistency too (route running, knowing the plays, etc. . .) not to mention physical maturity. Finley, going into this year, is still going to be younger than some rookies. I really think you're misreading something about Finley because he didn't take the job immediately.

We had posted some awesome highlight reels on both Marcellus Bennet and Jermichael Finley in PR before the draft

[Lurker64]

I think Finley is being underrated as a blocker by some people in this thread. Sure, he's not going to be mistaken for a third offensive tackle any time soon, but he gives great effort and is a spirited blocker. Most of what you'd want him to get better on is technique, and I'm pretty sure he can learn it. The TEs you worry about their blocking are just who don't even get in the way effectively, because they don't care to do anything other than catch the ball (looking at you, Greg Olsen). But Finley has the right attitude and enough pop to be a guy who isn't really a liability as a blocker for a TE.

If Quarless is better at in-line blocking, then that's great. But regardless, I expect Finley to be the guy who takes the first snap of the game at TE every game he's healthy.

[HarveyWallbangers]

So who is more likely to be cut, Lee or Havner?

Havner has glue hands. Lee has a higher drop %.

Havner gets a lot of special teams tackles.

Havner can be an emergency Linebacker.

Lee is older.

Lee was #2 and Havner #3.

Lee has the larger contract.

This will be an interesting competition for a roster spot.

Since when does Havner have glue hands? The guy caught 7 balls last year and I remember him dropping at least 1. I don't get the love for Havner as a TE. Sure, he makes for a decent third TE but mainly because he plays on STs.

[Scott Campbell]

I think I remember seeing a Chewy/Jackson highlight clip on YouTube from the 1997 season. It was ridiculous how easy those two made it look to move the chains. Had they stayed in their primes any longer I could see the NFL having to change the rules to protect shell shocked defensive backfields. I think Ted was here in GB for that, and maybe he's trying to recapture a little of that magic.

[Fred's Slacks]

If this is all the Kid has gotten in trouble for, is anyone else supprised that some teams took him off their board? A couple underage's and they found pot he wasnt smoking in an appartment he shared with other college kids. If he really blew a .04 when he got the DUI that seems bogus. IIRC that sounds like he had a beer over a couple hour period and then drove home. Had he been of age, nothing would have happened. I'm I off base?

[MJZiggy]

If this is all the Kid has gotten in trouble for, is anyone else supprised that some teams took him off their board? A couple underage's and they found pot he wasnt smoking in an appartment he shared with other college kids. If he really blew a .04 when he got the DUI that seems bogus. IIRC that sounds like he had a beer over a couple hour period and then drove home. Had he been of age, nothing would have happened. I'm I off base?

Guess it depends on how deep you want to bother digging into things and if they feel like he's being defensive instead of appropriately contrite when he tries to explain himself.

[Fritz]

I think Lee's in a tough spot right now. If the rookie has the upside that's been spoken of and works hard in camp, and if Havner looks ready in pre-season, how can you keep Lee, even ifhe's more polished than Quarless?

Havner's value on ST and as an emergency linebacker is tremendous. Maybe he's the guy that allows MM to cut Kuhn or Hall. And even if Quarless looks rough and unpolished, you could get by with Havner as your #2 tight end as Quarless grows up. He won't last on the practice squad, that seems clear.

So unless the kid shows up and really screws it up, I think Lee's days are numbered. The team knows who he is, what he can and can't do.

[Patler]

I think Lee's in a tough spot right now. If the rookie has the upside that's been spoken of and works hard in camp, and if Havner looks ready in pre-season, how can you keep Lee, even ifhe's more polished than Quarless?

Havner's value on ST and as an emergency linebacker is tremendous. Maybe he's the guy that allows MM to cut Kuhn or Hall. And even if Quarless looks rough and unpolished, you could get by with Havner as your #2 tight end as Quarless grows up. He won't last on the practice squad, that seems clear.

So unless the kid shows up and really screws it up, I think Lee's days are numbered. The team knows who he is, what he can and can't do.

I agree. Havner's value on the 45 man game day roster is very high. He provides backup at two positions that don't usually lend themselves to multi-position players, and he is a strong ST contributor. Perfect guy to be active on game day.

Lee will have value to someone, but trading him could be a problem because of his salary, unless a team needs him as a starter.

[Fritz]

I'm not sure how much value a mid-level tight end with a fairly large salary has. Maybe they could get a 6th or 7th? I don't know. But then again if people know he's getting cut, maybe they wait. I suspect that is more likely.